MLB Player News

Mills, 26, has regularly posted impressive numbers in the minors, but the southpaw has a 8.57 ERA in 48 1/3 innings over parts of three seasons in the majors. Mathis, 28, was a non-tender candidate after earning $1.7 million with the Angels and will be considered the favorite to win the backup job behind J.P. Arencibia next season.

Young got enough of a Ryan Weathers’ offering to dump a broken-bat single into right to score Randy Arozarena in the second inning. He’s swung the bat well to begin 2025 with four RBI and a .333/.368/.611 slash over the first five games. Just keep in mind that Colt Emerson is an even more highly-touted prospect, so the leash may be short.

The only run Weathers allowed was on a broken-bat single by Cole Young. The 26-year-old’s first start with the Yankees went well outside of that and some late trouble in the fifth, and he was consistently above 98 mph with his fastball. Weathers is going to have to pitch well to keep a spot in the Yankees’ rotation, but this was a good first outing. He has a friendly matchup on paper against his former organization in the Marlins.

This was vintage La Piedra stuff. Castillo initiated 17 swings-and-misses, and he located his four-seam fastball all night long. He allowed just two hits and two walks, and there was basically no hard contact against the 33-year-old throughout the contest. Castillo is no longer a fantasy ace, but he’s still a very effective option more often than not. He’ll get the ball again Sunday against the Angels, but it’s worth noting that start is in Los Angeles, and Castillo has been considerably more effective in Seattle the past few seasons.

Raleigh was given a day off initially, but he came off the bench to deliver his best moment of the young season. He laced an inside fastball from Paul Blackburn with a runner on third into right, and it gave Seattle a 2-1 lead. Raleigh has gotten off to a slow start, but it’s far too early to panic, and Monday is an example of what the man they call Big Dumper can do.

Cole was an early favorite to make the Astros out of spring training, but he was overtaken while going 8-for-40 with 16 strikeouts. This will probably keep him out for at least a month before he can resume trying to hit his way on to Houston’s roster.

Bader gave the Giants a 1-0 lead with a solo homer off an ineffective Walker Buehler. It’s the first homer of the season for Bader, and the first as a member of the Giants. The 31-year-old scuffled in the series against the Yankees, but so did every member of the San Francisco lineup. He’ll have a chance to be a useful bench option in the majority of fantasy formats.

Merrill hit a two-run homer in the ninth, but in this case, it only got the Padres to within a run. The 22-year-old has his first homer of the season, and he’s now driven in three runs over the first four games.

Walker was handed a three-run cushion, and he needed all of them. He gave up a two-run homer to Jackson Merrill, but was able to get the final out for his first save of the year and first win of the campaign for the Giants. Walker is going to get the closing opportunities to open 2026, but he was a shaky option in 2025 and isn’t off to the best start to this season.

Buehler’s first outing with the Padres was a shaky one, and shaky might be too complimentary. He allowed a solo homer to Harrison Bader, and then two run-scoring singles in the fourth; his final frame of the contest. The 31-year-old was only able to generate eight swings and misses over 72 pitches, with a 21 percent CSW. Buehler was once one of the best fantasy options in baseball. He’s now someone who can be safely ignored in all formats.

Roupp threw 54-of-88 pitches for strikes, and he was able to procure 13 swings and misses in an impressive first outing of 2026. The 27-year-old averaged 93.5 mph with his sinker; up a little under a mile over his 2025 offering. Roupp has not shown a ton of consistency in his time with the Giants, but there have been flashes that suggest he’s a competent offering in the back - -maybe even the middle — of a rotation. He’ll look to replicate this effort against the Mets next week.